Vacuum air-valve.



C. A. DUNHAM. VACUUM AIR VALVE. APPLICATION TILED FEB. 3,1909.

938,226.l Patented 0@'.26,1909.

Y o y w m @d 4. W .W v

//Jf f t A A l f k, c

there is mounted e t-liermosteie este? CLAYTN AUBRA DUNI-AM, Gld MARSHALLT'WN, IQW.

VACUUM A.IRVALVE.

Speecetion of Letters Peteur.

Application filed February 3, 19ml Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, CLAYTON A. DUNHAM, :t citizen of the United States, und ft resident of Marshalltown, in the county ot' Marshall :uid Stute of lows, have invented e new and improved Vacuum itir-Vnle, or" which the following is n full, clem'7 and exact Adescription.

This invention relates to certain improvements in vacuum air vulves intended for use in connection with vacuo-vapor heating systel'ns, or for any class olf heating Work in which it is desired to Vent, air from the moins, returns, or other portion of the system in which low pressure steam is used.

The object ot' the invention is to so con ,struct the device that :tir may freely escape from the system past, the valve, but the Valve will close to positively prevent the escepe of steam or water or the rentrauoe of air. t y

'- Reference is to he had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specifics-l.A

tion, in which similar characters of refer ence indicate Corresponding erts in eli the figures, aud in Which- AvFigure l is e vertical section through a device Constructed in accordance with my invention, the outlet Valve being closed hy the ditterence in air pressure upon the in 'terior and exterior of the system; Fig. 2 is e View similar to Fig. l, but showing the outlet vulve closed by the action of Water; and ldigl 3 e top plan View of the center pieee of the easing.

ln the speciiioforin of device illustrated in the eecoiupenjl'ng drewings'l employ e casing forni-ed er' three seperate sections 1Q, itl end. l2, the middle sec-tion il. serving to suodiride lthe easing into two seperate cliznnu hers or compartments 13 and M ehsmher le is formed hy the easing session l and the lower ieee of the middle casing section il. The lowercasing section is pro rided with en inlet 151 in one side thereof, to which a ikripe 16 may he connelted, seid pipe either leadin 'to Jche system hr consti-` tuting s portion t ereof. Within the chamber or compari.,

'L formed oit two sheet metal plates connected together et their peripheral edges and contenuti? s duid, the expansion of whloltl will "spree the centers of the plates spart when @mused tothe temperature or steam. The casing seeion ll constitutes s partition to The lower seperate the two lcompartments 13 sind 14, und is provided with upwardlyand down- 19, by means of which it is connected to both sections. intermediate the two threaded portions 18 and l), is e, hexagonal out Wurdly-extending flange presenting lower und upper feces for engagement Vwith the upper and lower faces oi' the sections 10 end l2. Each of these faces is provided. with e groove therein to rereive e ring gasket lr? which permits the opposed ifa-ees to be screwed up into firm engagement, with eee-h other to form tight joints. In the cent/er of 'the partition or easing section il, is en er erture 20, the lower end of which constitutes a. valve seatadjacent, to a Valve 21 Carried hy the thermostatio disk upon its upper surface. The lower fece of the disk is secured to the lower section in any suitable men- ?uer, as, for instance, by :L threaded plug 2i? tilting into e socket 23 inthe center of the easing, so that the disk is anchored, but.y et the saine time, its elevation zuid its reletire posit-ion in respect to the value seat, may he varied by rotating the disk. The disk 1s ot such a character :and adjustable to such e position that when subjected to e tempereture below thatfof low pressure steam, the valve will be spaced from its seat; in other words, the valve- Will be opened. When the steam corne-s in Contact with the dish, the expansion of the fluid Within the letter will bring the valve to its seat and the steam will he'preveuted from. escapihg from the compartment or chamber le to the Conipertment or cheminer 13, Y

The Casin section 3 2 is Provided with e Velveeentro .led milletl in its upper wall7 through which, the eir may escape i'romtlxe compartment 1 3 into the well et' the @using section, said tubular plug having e valve seat el; its lower end, en outlet pussege 25 in the side thereof, and a reduced outle't in alinement with the valve seat. ldithin the chamber or'conr pertinent i3 is e Vacuum ydisk 27, formed peripheral edges. Extending `dfwmwerdly from the peripheral edge is :L flange 28, forming with the lower plete' of the disk a fleet, Wlieuoeloj,r the entire disk may he raised hodily hy the entrance of Water to the cheniher The upper plate of the disk carries relire 29, adopted to engage with the ful'y'e hardly-extending threaded port-ions 18 ond 'lhe outlet is preerebly, formed through e, brass tubular plug 2e set of two plates: secured togetheret their seat at the lowerend of the plug 24, and the valve carries a valve stem 30 extending through the plug and to the outside atmosphere through the reduced opening 26 in theA plug. The reduced opening in the upper end of the plug constitutes a guide' .fo the valve stem, and the valve stem is ing 20. The spider serves not only to support and guide the stem or rod 31. but it also serves to deflect the air. rising through the opening 20 and spread the air out into the dome chamber within the float.

lith my improved device used in a vacuovapor heating system or any system in which the pressure is normally below atmospheric pressure, the vacuum disk 27 will normally be expanded, due to the presence ot' greater pressure within the disk than upon the eX- terior of said disk. In case air accumulates within the system so as te raise the pressure substantially to that of the atmosphere, the disk 27 will partially collapse and the valve 29 will open to permit the `air to escape to the atmosphere. Should steam pass along with the air, the operation of the steam upon the thermostatic disk 17 will close the valve 21 and said steamwill be prevented from escaping'.v Should water enter the device and rise within the chamber 13, as indicated in Fig. 2,` the float will raise the 'vacuum disk 27 to close the valve 29, irrespective of the difference in pressure upon the interior and exterior of the disk. The valve 21 will remain open, so that upon a reduction in. pressure in thesystem, thewater may flow back through the conduit 16, and the water in leaving the compartment 13 willreduce the ressure therein to such an extent that the isk 27 will' expand and the valve 29 will remain closed and prevent the admission of air to the system. The water in again rising in the compartment 13 will raise the pressure in the compartment to that ofthe outside atmosphere, so that the disk 27 may colla se and t e air escape.

Having thus `escribed my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent: y

1.l A device of the class described, including a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a valve for closing the outlet, a float. for operating/the valve, and a hollow expansion disk within the casing and carried by and constituting ai portion of said float and hav ing the interior thereof communicating with the outside atmosphere, the said disk operating the valve by a difference in air pressure upon the interior of said expansion disk and the interior of said casing.

2. A device of the class described, including a casing having an inlet and anv outlet, a valve for controlling said outlet, and a hollow expansion disk for operating the valve and disposed within said casing, said disk having a dependingv` flange constituting therewith a float, said expansion disk having its interior communicating with the outside atmosphere.

3. An automatic trap, including a casing having an inlet, a gas outlet from the upper ortion thereof, a valve for closing said outlet. and a hollow expansion disk within said casing for operating the Valve, said valve having 'a valve stem movable therewith, and also constituting a conduit establishing conimunication between the interior'of the disk and the outside of the casino'.

Y 4. An automatic trap, including a casing .having an inlet, and a gas outlet from adjacent the upper portion thereof, a valvefor closing said outlet, a hollow expansion disk within said casing and serving to operate said valve, and a valve stem extending through said outlet for guiding said valve and also constituting a conduit to permit the free entrance or'exhaust of air to and from the interior of the disk.

5. An automatic trap, including a casing subdivided into two chambers or compartments and having an inlet to the lower chamber, a passage connecting said chambers, and an outlet from the upper chamber, a valve for controlling said passage, a valve for controlling said outlet, a termostaticallyoperated device in the lower chamber for controlling the first-mentioned valve, and an expansion disk within the upper chamber for controlling the second-mentioned valve, said expansion disk having the interior thereof communicating with the outside atmosphere and said disk operatin said sec- 'having a passage therethrough, a hollow theriostatic disk within said passage and operating to close the same upon a predeter mined change in temperature, a hollow vacuum disk within said passage and having the interior thereof in communication with the outside atmosphere and operating to close the passage upon a predetermined difference in pressure between the interior of` the disk and the interior of the passage, and

a float within said passage and o erating to close the passage upon a pre etermined change in liquid level. l

7. A device of the class described, including a'casing having an inlet at the lower portion thereof and an outlet at the upper portion thereof, a valve for closing the outp let, hollow eXpansion-diskwithin said Cate ing, said disk carrying said valve and havl ing the interior in'ooinmunication with the Closing saidloutlet, a hollow expansion disk Within seid casing and having one side thereof seourod to seid valve to support and move kthe saine, ineens secured to the opposite side of seid disk for su ,porting the latter, and a =vulvo stem carried y said valve and extend t ing to the exterior o Said casing and having @passage therethrough forming communication bet-Ween the interior of said disk and the outside atmosphere. f

9. A device of theclas's described, including a casing having an inlet a gas outlet, a valve for closing stud outlet, a hollow expansion disky within said casing and having one side thereof secured to said valve to support and Inove the same, means secured to the opposite side of; said disk for supporting the letter, e valve stem' carried by said valve and extending to the exterior of said casing and having a passage therethrough forming communication between the interior `of said disk and the outside atmosphere, and means for moving said expansion disk and valve bodily to, close the outlet independently of the air pressure within the casing. A

10. A deviceof the class described, including acasing having threecasing sections, one of said casm sections constituting a partition subdividlng the interior of the casing into tivo ALsuperposed chambers or compart- -inents .sald partition having an aperture therethrough and having the upper surface downwardly-inclined rto said aperture, an inlet to one of said compartments, an Aoutlet4 for the other of said compartments, means within onev compartment for controlling said aperture, and means in the other of said compartments for controlling said outlet, said above-mentioned casing section having annular threaded portions and an annular flanve therebetween and provided With `annulargroovesin the opposed faoes thereof and ring gaskets within said e grooves, the other two of said sections having engagementwith said threaded ort-ions and with the opposed faces of said ange.-

In testimony whereof I hoeve signed my name to this specification in the presence vof two subscribing witnesses. Y

CLAYTON AUBRADUN HAM. Witnesses:

LEROY A. SMITH, W. S'roRnR. 

